LONDON BOMBED ALL NIGHT

Southland Times, Issue 24243, 28 September 1940, Page 5

LONDON BOMBED ALL NIGHT

NORTHERN SUBURB PASTED (United Press Assn.—Telegraph Copyright) (Received September 27, 8.30 p.m.) LONDON, September 27. The German raiders again kept up the bombing throughout London all night. Central London was again comparatively quiet for the first few hours in spite of occasional flaring up of gunfire and the explosion of bombs. A district in north London received a bad pasting for a short period. Highexplosive bombs followed a number of flares, destroying the maternity wing of a hospital. Other bombs razed houses and shops nearby. Incendiary bombs in the same area were swiftly put out with little damage done. Many London areas experienced similar visitations. A north-west town had its worst bombing since the outbreak of war. Night raiders also visited a south-east coastal area.

The Air Ministry reveals that during a half-hour attack against Southampton one British and one Polish fighter squadron shot down all of the' 31 Germans destroyed yesterday.

Fifty Heinkel bombers, heavily protected by fighters, approached the Isle of Wight at a height of 16,000 feet. The Poles, flying Hurricanes, immediately attacked the bombers and chased some across the Channel to France. Meanwhile, nine Spitfires took on another 30 bombers escorted by fighters at a height of 14,000 feet and chased the attackers to the sea after a series of thrilling encounters. Watcners on the English coast cheered relays of bombers as they swept over the channel to attack the invasion bases. An avalanche of bombs lit up the sky on the French coast. German guns on the French coast shelled the Dover area. A man and a woman were killed.

New forms of defence and attack have been used in the past few night raids on London. Citizens, aware of new and strange noises, have heard thunderous explosions disintegrating into staccato cracks high in the heavens and also a muffled rattling which was dubbed “carpet slipper machine-guns. There was also the curious flat roar of something which seemingly strikes an imaginary ceiling • miles up and then bumps clamorously along the top of the sky. These queer noises are actually caused by new types of weapons or well-tried weapons adapted to new uses. New types of shells whose composition and effc are secret are being used. New and more elaborate types of flaming onions have also been noticed on recent nights. The Germans’ surprises include parachute bombs, described as shiny and cigar-shaped, apparently constructed of

an aluminium alloy which float down gently and explode after landing. The Daily Express joins other newspapers in the campaign for a London dictator to deal with the problem of the homeless. “A dozen different authorities now handle the task of feeding, housing, transporting and clothing the homeless of a London family. This breeds delay and aggravates the suffering. Instead of one family in the hands of a dozen men, there should be 1000 families in the hands of one man. Let us have dispersal centres 50 miles from the fringes of the great sprawling city and immediately take away those who are bombed, but one man must administer the plan throughout”